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Dark Shadows: 701
A dark, dark night on the great estate of Collinwood. The main house deserted - ruled by two evil spirits who refuse to show themselves to any but the possessed children. And in the basement room of the Old House, one man contemplates a terrifying chance to achieve the meeting of Quentin that he knows must take place. Episode 701 is an untitled episode of the daytime Gothic soap opera series Dark Shadows. It was directed by Henry Kaplan and written by Sam Hall. It first aired on ABC on Monday, March 3rd, 1969. This episode is part of the storyline that this database refers to as the "1897 Flashback". Synopsis goes into a trance.]] In the basement of the Old House, Barnabas Collins asks Professor Stokes about using I Ching to make contact with Quentin Collins. Stokes is reluctant to pursue this course of action, believing it to be dangerous. He however relents and tosses the I Ching wands onto a table. They form the pattern of the 49th hexagram - the hexagram of change. He then has Barnabas meditate upon the wands, concentrating on the vision of a doorway that is to open before him. In Barnabas' vision, he finds the door and it opens. Inside is a coffin wrapped in chains. In the next moment, Barnabas disappears from the current timeline and reappears locked inside his coffin the year 1897. In the 19th century, the Old House is dilapidated and following apart. It is occupied by two Gypsies named Sandor and Magda Rakosi. Magda and Sandor reminisce about their carnival days when Magda was a mentalist and Sandor was a knife-thrower. Magda knows that they only remain at the Old House at the behest of the family matriarch, Edith Collins. But Edith is near death, and Magda knows they will soon be forced to leave. She intends on stealing the Collins family jewels before leaving Collinsport. - The prodigal son.]] At Collinwood, Quentin Collins - the black sheep of the Collins family returns home. He is greeted at the door by the Collins' maidservant, Beth Chavez. Beth asks Quentin why he has returned, but Quentin dodges the question, instead asking why Beth remained behind. He speaks of Beth's mistress, Jenny Collins. Quentin reveals that the reason he came back is because he knows that his grandmother, Edith, will die soon. He toys with the idea of using his charm to convince her to make some adjustments to her will before expiring. Quentin Collins goes upstairs to see Edith who is resting in bed reading Tarot cards. At first she believes that it is Edward Collins - her oldest grandson. When she realizes that it is Quentin, she is both pleased and disappointed to see him. The two engage in chit chat for a bit, but Edith reminds him that she is still sharp of mind and will not be fooled by her grandson's charms. Edith says that she needs to live long enough to tell Edward the dark family secret. As he is the oldest, the burden falls to him. Quentin tries to cajole Edith into telling him the secret instead, but she refuses. Downstairs, Sandor Rakosi breaks into Collinwood by sneaking in through the drawing room window. He begins checking around for valuables, but Quentin enters and startles him. He asks if he should fetch the other family members or should he simply go to the police. - trapped!]] Meanwhile, Barnabas Collins is trapped inside his coffin the secret room in the Collins family mausoleum. He doesn't know what year it is, and he does not know how he is going to escape. As he is now a vampire once again, he must use his mental powers to summon someone to unchain him. Sandor returns to the Old House. Apparently Quentin did not call the police as he had threatened. He tells Magda that he failed to find the jewels and that Quentin has returned. Magda consults her crystal ball and sees an image of the inside of the Collins mausoleum. Now aware of the secret room, she believes that this is where the jewels must be hidden. Sandor takes little stock in Magda's talents and is through with searching for valuables, but Magda convinces him to help her. As they prepare to leave, Beth arrives at the Old House. She says that Miss Edith requests Magda's presence. Magda tells Sandor that he must carry on their mission without her. Sandor goes to the mausoleum. Thanks to the image in Magda's crystal ball, Sandor knows how to access the secret room. He finds the coffin, but doesn't understand why it is chained. He doesn't like being here, and has no wish to continue with this job, but he knows that if he fails, Magda will only make him return. He pries off the chains and opens the lid. As he does so, Barnabas' hand reaches out and grabs him by the throat. Cast Notes & Trivia * This episode is available on disc 1 of Dark Shadows DVD Collection 13 and disc 73 of the Dark Shadows: The Complete Original Series DVD collection. * Opening narration: Thayer David. * Opening still: Collinwood; exterior, night; dissolves into a still of the Old House exterior at night. * Closing still: Magda's crystal ball. * This episode was recorded on February 24th, 1969. * This episode officially begins a storyline known as the "1897 Flashback". This is the final episode of "The Ghost of Quentin Collins" storyline. * This episode includes a recap of the climax scene from episode 699. * First canonical appearance of Quentin Collins. He made previous appearances as a ghost in the "The Ghost of Quentin Collins" story-arc. * First canonical appearance of Beth Chavez. She made previous appearances as a ghost in the "The Ghost of Quentin Collins" story-arc. This is the first time that the character is given dialogue. * First appearance of Magda Rakosi and Sandor Rakosi. * This is the first appearance of actress Isabella Hoopes in the role of Edith Collins. She appears next in episode 704. * Prior to her brief stint on Dark Shadows, actress Isabella Hoopes played Bertha Blum in the 1968 true crime movie The Boston Strangler. Allusions * Edith Collins makes allusions to the Collins family secret, which is revealed in later episodes. The secret is that a member of their own family is a vampire, who has been sealed up inside of a secret room in the Collins family mausoleum. The vampire is Barnabas Collins. This secret has been passed down from the time of Daniel Collins, who grew up knowing the truth about Barnabas. * Numerous references are made to Edward Collins in this episode. Edward is the eldest of the Collins family siblings which also includes Carl, Judith and Quentin. Edward Collins will be introduced in episode 705. Bloopers * Jonathan Frid stumbles over his lines a bit in the opening teaser of the episode. * Isabella Hoopes accidentally references Carl Collins, when she means to say Edward Collins, but this actually works with the scene as there is a bit where she says that she often confuses the names of her grandchildren. Inconsistencies * When Quentin Collins is introduced, he is seen knocking on the front doors of Collinwood. As this is his family home, it seems odd that he should feel the need to knock. Additionally, Quentin is then show to have no respect and more than a little contempt for most of his family members, so it is unlikely that he would humble himself by politely knocking on the door. * Magda Rakosi tells Beth Chavez that she is going to bring Edith some new tarot cards. She then goes on to explain that the cards are not really that new, but rather, very old. See also External Links Episode links * * Episode 701 at the Dark Shadows Wiki * * Series links Category:1969 television episodes Category:Dark Shadows: 1897 Flashback/Episodes Category:Episodes with plot summaries